Infection rate in Baltimore levels off, but some areas still up

The overall rate of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria has leveled off in Baltimore, but some types of infections remain much higher than in surrounding jurisdictions and throughout Maryland, according to data released by the Baltimore Health Department. While rates have declined in hospitals and among intravenous drug users, infections reported at dialysis centers and long-term care facilities have had only modest decreases. Baltimore officials pledged to devise better strategies for combating infections caused by invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.

Missouri will start publishing past years of data about hospital infection rates on its website, the state's top health official said Tuesday. The decision by Margaret Donnelly, Missouri's director of health...